December Countdown
by ejyoojin
Summary: A series of PJO/HoO Oneshots/Drabbles for the holidays. Titles and summaries are in bold. Please leave any requests!
1. It's Only A Tee

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO, those rights go to Rick Riordan.**

**It's Only A Tee**

**Jason didn't care if there was black ice. Driving that Nico kid home was still safer than him walking. AU.**

You would think that a lone car driving through falling sleet with only one headlight working would just pass a kid on the side of the road that was dressed in black, blending into the night's protective darkness.

Funny thought you got there. Oh, and it is completely wrong.

Jason Grace drove down in a lone car such as the one you have thought of. The right headlight of his car cracked and fell off somewhere on the other end of the road, and he just hoped the police were ignorant enough to assume that nobody would drive at this time. The actual hour was decent, it was the weather that held the rest of the residents hostage in their homes as they anxiously waited for that delayed flight that probably woudn't come in time for the holidays to be celebrated the next morning. The holiday, Christmas to be exact, was also the reason Jason was out, since he was buying last minute gifts. The storekeepers looked at him like he was mad, though neither of them complained.

When Nico saw the bright red car coming down the road, because_ how could you miss it_, he was suddenly glad that as an American, he walked on the right side of the street, unlike those Brits in a book he was reading, which he couldn't help but read the dialogue aloud sometimes. Again, referring to your previous thought, Nico was a 14 year old kid, or teen if you prefer, who was trying to blend into the shadows, which wasn't very hard with his all black attire. Despite the bitter cold that must've been biting him, he wore no coat; only his jeans, a t-shirt, and skinny arms wrapped around his chest. His aviator jacket was accidently left at home when he went to walk to the library, and he had been too lazy to go back and get it. It wasn't like the jacket reminded Nico of his sister too much around this time of year, or anything irrational like that. No, not at all.

To whose luck, it was hard to tell, Jason spotted the boy on the grass along the road and slowed to a stop. Said boy stared at him in both surprise and horror.

"Need a ride?" Jason asked casually, his blond hair cutting through the landscape. He observed the boy, who had sickly pale skin and a poor choice in clothing. "You're gonna get frostbite."

"No, and I'm not," the boy answered shakily. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Jason, Jason Grace. And I'm giving you a ride home. Who are you?"

"Nico Di Angelo," Nico replied. "And I don't own a car, but I do know that it isn't safe to drive during this type of weather. Could skid over black ice."

"Well," Jason commented, "_I_ know that it isn't safe to walk outside in this type of weather. I feel that my way is probably the safer option." A new wave of sleet emphasized his point.

"You aren't gonna leave until I agree, are you?" Jason shook his head. "Fine," Nico huffed, stepping into the car. Even with his tiny amount of protest and obvious discomfort, you could still find relief in Nico's expresssion. "Wait, what the hell happened to stranger danger?" His mild curse with such a child-like saying amused Jason.

"We threw it out the window," Jason supplied. "Now, where do I need to take you?" Not _where's your home_, not _where do you live_, just _where do I need to take you_. Nico secretly appreciated his phrasing, wondering what this KJason had gone through. "Know where the nearest library is?" At his questioning look, Nico quickly told Jason "I know this girl Hazel who works there."

Jason still doesn't let down his guard, if it can even be called that, yet still insists on small talk. Nico doesn't know why he feels so at ease with the blond, being able to confide about simple interests like color or music taste, which happen to be completely different. Jason likes the color blue and rap, while Nico sticks with shades and punk rock. Nico also likes the oldies, not that he was going to share that fact.

All too soon, the ride is over, and Nico exits the shotgun, but not before Jason throws his sweatshirt ontop of Nico's head. He accepts it, disreguarding the blue that was much too bright in his opinion, the way he was given the sweatshirt, and the size which blatantly reminds Nico that he is extremely scrawny and should eat more.

The next morning, Nico finds a crumpled up note in the pocket of the sweatshirt. Written on it is a number and a signature, along with a simple _Call me, you can join me and some friends for the holidays._

Nico obliges, and ends up entering the Grace household wearing the same outfit as the day before.


	2. It's Simple Christmas

**It's [Simple] Christmas**

**Nico shortly joins the Jackson's on Christmas morning. [Drabble]**

"Percy. Percy, wake up. Wake. Up. It's Christmas," a voice whispered next to his bed.

Opening his eyes, the first thing he notices is the black mass in front of him, to soon realize it's a person, and that person is Nico Di Angelo, with a goofy smile that doesn't look quite right on his face, wearing a hat that goes over your ears and looked like it could've been found in a dumpster, not that Percy was going to mention that to him and acknowledge that it might of actually been from a dumpster.

"What time is it?" Percy asked, looking out the window. It was still dark out, although that didn't mean much in the middle of winter.

"I don't know, like, 2 A.M., 3?" Okay, maybe that _did_ mean something.

"Dude! Why would you wake me up this early?"

Nico shook his head like his reason was obvious. "Like I said before, it's Christmas."

Staring at him, Percy finally managed to sputter out "Just, just go back to sleep and wait until, like, 9. And why are you here, anyway?"

"Christmas," he repeated quietly, settling down on the floor.

.-.. .. -. . -... .-. . .- -.-

No matter how many times it happened, Paul Blofis would probably never get used to seeing the same kid show up at the apartment at random.

When he opened the door to wake up Percy, he found his drooling son with a younger boy sitting on the floor, fiddling with the zipper of his aviator jacket. He looked up at Paul, his dark eyes menacing and deep. They didn't fit with the rest of his body. Neither did the smile he shot him with, which was probably intended to be warmer.

"Oh, sorry, just dropping in for the holidays, I suppose. Celebrating with father isn't exactly the best," the boy, Nico, Paul remembered, commented.

"Um, okay. Could you wake up Percy? Tell him we are having pancakes."

He nodded his head, getting up from his spot on the floor as Paul Blofis left the room.

.-.. .. -. . -... .-. . .- -.-

Luckily, Sally Jackson wasn't surprised, resentful, or angry at the arrival of their unannounced visitor. In fact, she welcomed him with open arms, because Percy told her about his past, and he seemed to deserve a holiday with a family, even if it wasn't his own.

Nico Di Angelo was acting unusually childish, staring in awe at the Christmas tree, smiling, and rambling on about unimportant topics. Every now and then he would start swaying in his chair, as if dancing to an imaginary tune in his head. Sally was afraid he might fall off of the chair, especially when he practically jumped out of his seat to tell them something.

"By the way, I got you guys stuff," he exclaimed, taking three items out of the pockets of his jacket.

"You didn't have to get us anything, Nico. Besides, we didn't get anything for you..." Percy started saying.

"Doesn't matter," Nico interupted. "Nothing much, but i hope you like them."

He then gave each of them a box with their name scribbled on in pen. Paul's gift was a simple pack of number two pencils. Sally got a box of cereal (snatched it off of Demeter, apparently). Percy got a drawing of himself, with the waves coming up behind him. It was true they were nothing much, but the gratitude on Nico's face made up for it. So did the fact it probably took him some effort to get these gifts, considering the fact that Nico was on his own.

"Nico, I didn't knew you could draw!" Percy said jokingly after a few moments. He looked up once more to find that Nico Di Angelo was gone.


End file.
